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Thursday, May 5, 2016

FTLOFAOT x The Pot Plant (The sustainable fashion story)

Let me start by telling you that it is definitely not a piece of cake for someone like me to write a piece on sustainable fashion in the context of making it consumable for the masses. For one, there are a gazillion thoughts dashing across my head about all that I read up and know about sustainable fashion but I fear I might end up writing a blog post that resembles my law school thesis.

Different people look at sustainable fashion in different light. There are those who believe that any kind of corporate consumer behaviour takes you miles away from sustainable fashion. Then there are others (possibly like me) who happen to be transiting through a stage where they don't have all the information to make a complete lifestyle turnover but they still believe that a few steps can go a long way in a greener, cleaner environment. When I read this piece on sustainable fashion on the Man Repeller, a lot of my beliefs were verified. We do not need to operate outside the realm of fashion to contribute to a heartier environment. The reason a few of us are beginning to see the serious cons of fast fashion is because a conscious decision to slow down your fast fashion consumption simply means you waste less, you consume less and as a result contribute lesser to the landfills that are dumps of the waste.

If Emma Watson can do it, so can you. When I laid my eyes on Emma Watson's Calvin Klein dress on the red carpet of the Met Ball, 2016 I knew that it was clean and sophisticated. However, what I didn't know was that the fabric of her dress was made from 'Newlife: a yarn made from 100% post-consumer plastic bottles; and the detailing on the bustier was made with organic silk and cotton.' The fact that possibly the biggest event in the fashion world (it is chaired by Anna Wintour, don't you dare disagree) is giving a resounding yes to repurposing in your sartorial choices clearly means that purposeful living and spending is a choice a lot of people are making. And if you thought greener choices were only for the elite few strutting in their Calvin Kleins you could not be more wrong. Hennes & Mauritz, more popularly known as H & M , the Swedish clothing giant for the fast fashion lovers is working with an eco-conscious line for its Indian market and giving its consumers a chance to recycle their old clothes and get a discount while their at it. The only kind of corporate incentivization that I would not possibly mind.

The Pot Plant label tickled my green fantasy with their use of only natural fabrics and a very clear vision to create clothes that can be repurposed. From the colour scheme to the cuts and silhouettes, there is nothing fast and disposable about The Pot Plant. Fuss free clothing that takes you back to cleaner, greener times reminded me of all that remains to be done to find a little niche for sustainability in our lives. This summer they make their anti-fit dresses and shirt dresses a notch dressier with hand sewn embellishments that are made from recycled plastic. The best place for me to tell their story with my friend Cat, was my local nursery.